


Dauphin

by RunRabbitRun



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Babies, Gen, Marriage of Convenience, Parenthood, Sharing a Bed, Sojiro Shimada's Stunted Emotional Attachments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-20 18:33:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10668399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RunRabbitRun/pseuds/RunRabbitRun
Summary: Sojiro's seven-month-old son is still not sleeping through the night, and his wife refuses to let the servants deal with it.





	Dauphin

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what prompted this. I just like writin' about babies ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ I wrote this in an afternoon just to get the idea out, so it's un-beta'd.
> 
> I am NOT a Japanese speaker, so I tried to limit my use of it. Still, if anyone spots a glaring error, please let me know. 
> 
> As I was rereading this I realized that this miiiiight be read as a statement about marriage or about marriage in Japan. I was writing Sojiro as having a mild attachment problem due to his Fucked Up Upbringing and Hanae as A Playful But Very Goal Oriented Woman. It's definitely not MEANT to be anything but a weird little drabble, but if I have slipped up and done something offensive I ask that one of my kind readers drop me a line and let me know so I can make the appropriate adjustments.

_"Poor little one, you are not desired, but you will be none the less dear to me! A son would have belonged to the state—you will belong to me."- Marie Antoinette_

 

They had a veritable fleet of servants and bodyguards and nannies for this very reason, but Hanae was stubborn.

“They can have him in a few years, for now he’s all mine,” she said, cooing sweetly at their son and rocking him. Hanzo hiccupped miserably and drew in a breath, his little chest expanding for another powerful wail. Hanzo was pitifully small in Sojiro’s eyes, but he screamed so loud you’d think he was a full-grown wildcat.

“Aw, he has your lungs,” Hanae said, shooting a wicked look at her husband.

Sojiro scowled at his wife but straightened up in bed, flipping the duvet aside so she could snuggle in close. Hanae had her own apartment a whole wing away but when she had some mad idea or couldn’t sleep or, more recently, when Hanzo was restless she shamelessly invaded Sojiro’s. Hanae made herself comfortable under the blankets and rocked their son gently, cuddling him and whispering praise and comfort like he wasn’t screaming his damn head off.

Sojiro covered his ears when Hanzo let out another piercing shriek. “You’re going to spoil him, why don’t you just let him cry himself out?”

It was Hanae’s turn to scowl now, “He’s seven months old, dummy, he can’t be spoiled. He’s colicky, leaving him all alone won’t help anything.”

“Colic my ass, he knows what he’s doing,” Sojiro griped. He knew Hanae was right, that Hanzo was just a baby, but damn if all this crying didn’t seem like attention-seeking nonsense. As if she read his mind, Hanae rolled her eyes and rearranged Hanzo’s blankets around him. They were royal blue, hand knit out of silk yarn and silver thread; the luxury was completely lost on the baby boy, who whined into the folds, staining them with snot and tears.

“Oof, I have to piss,” Hanae said suddenly. Sojiro shot her a look for being so crude, but she ignored him. She fussed with Hanzo’s blankets a little longer before pushing him into Sojiro’s arms and slipping out of bed. “Hold him for me,” she said, and headed for the ensuite, leaving Sojiro alone with his son.

Sojiro had been coached within an inch of his life by Hanae and is mother-in-law on how to properly hold a baby, but Hanzo still felt like a time-bomb in his arms. A soft, squirmy time-bomb. He whined unhappily and kicked, freeing himself from his swaddling and giving Sojiro a _look_ that was quite shocking for a seven-month-old.

“Don’t look at me like that, I haven’t done a thing to you.” Sojiro muttered. Hanzo wriggled and huffed, building up to another cry. Sojiro grimaced and tried to think of something, _anything_ , that could head off the impending fit. He had a long line of meetings waiting for him in the morning, starting with a visit to his father in the Hospital; staying up late with a crying baby was the last thing he needed. Hanae said he had colic, right? Gas, or something? He set a large hand on Hanzo’s belly and rubbed in a circle.

Miraculously, Hanzo quieted, his wailing fading to soft hiccups and whimpers.

“Can’t just let Otou-San sleep, can you?” Sojiro said, still petting the baby’s round tummy. Hanzo frowned but stayed quiet, one hand reaching out and grasping at the jet buttons on Sojiro’s pajama shirt. He tugged at the fabric for a minute, a tiny frown still etching his face, before letting go and shoving his hand in his mouth with a grunt. Even Sojiro had to admit, that was pretty cute. “Maybe your Kaa-San spoils you, but I can hardly blame her. Don’t tell her I said that, by the way.”

Hanzo snuffled at him, blinking blearily.

“I see you, little dragon, don’t act the innocent with me,” he said, mock scolding. Hanzo huffed again, huge dark eyes fluttering. “Good, it’s our secret, then.”

“What’s your secret?” Hanae asked, padding back into the bedroom.

“Man things, none of your business,” Sojiro said, his humor a little better now that his ears weren’t being assaulted by a screaming baby.

“Man things, of course,” Hanae rolled her eyes. “You got him to stop crying! You’re better at this than you think.”

Sojiro felt his face grow warm, unsure if it was from annoyance or pride. On one hand of _course_ he could quiet his own son, on the other hand why should a Ninja Lord have any knowledge of babies? Such things were reserved for other, less important people.

Hanae snuggled up into his side again and Sojiro resigned himself to a sleepless night. At least when they were trying to get pregnant sex would put them both to sleep. That wasn’t an option now, even if either of them were interested.

“He looks so sweet like this,” Hanae said, stroking Hanzo’s soft cheek. The baby blinked at her, seemingly having a hard time staying awake. Unwilling to press his luck, Sojiro kept rubbing his tummy. She yawned, reclining luxuriously. “Think he’ll stay asleep if it’s with us?”

“He might, I won’t,” Sojiro said.

“Just lie back, here, I can take him,” Hanae took Hanzo out of his arms and laid him flat on her chest. Hanzo mumbled a little at the movement but stayed blessedly quiet. Sojiro _hmphed_ but shifted around until he was lying on his side, facing his wife.

The three of them stayed like that for a short while, Hanae and Hanzo with their eyes closed, falling asleep, Sojiro watching. It was unusually romantic of Hanae, who loved to tease and torment but made no effort to be a particularly _loving_ wife. And why should she? Their marriage was a business arrangement, they both knew that. They’d known each other since childhood, practically betrothed since they could walk, but doting couple they were not.

She looked lovely, though, Sojiro had to admit. Pregnancy had suited her, and the sight of her in her silky shift with Hanzo finally asleep on her breasts stirred him, a little. Not his libido, which was mostly unstirrable even on the best days, but something else. This was… _nice_ , the quietness of it. Peaceful. The most important people in Sojiro’s life safely hidden away under his watchful eye.

 _He’s all mine_ , Hanae had said. _For now_. There was a bitter truth in that. In a few short years Hanzo would start school and training for the life he was destined to lead. There would be little time for cuddling with his mother.

Maybe, Sojiro thought in the half-mad part of his brain that seemed to awaken when he was tired or alone, maybe they could have another child. The Elders were satisfied with Hanzo, but a few spares couldn’t hurt. Perhaps if they had another couple of children the weight of heading the Clan would be distributed among them, freeing Hanzo a little and giving Hanae more babies to mother to her heart’s content.

 If she _wanted,_ that is. She’d made it clear that while she was Sojiro’s wife, she was no brood hen. Sojiro had seen her fight, had seen that mischievous mind put to good use. He could no more force her to bear him more children than he could bear them himself. But maybe… maybe after Hanzo’d been snatched away by life and responsibility she would want another.

Another baby to scream in the middle of the night and interrupt his sleep, the more pragmatic half of Sojiro’s mind muttered.

Hanzo snuffled and sucked his thumb in his sleep. He was very sweet looking when he was quiet. When he scowled in his sleep he looked rather like Sojiro’s father, though a very tiny and soft version.

Sojiro would hardly remember these more sentimental thoughts when he woke in the morning to find Hanae and their son already gone off to start their day. He was a busy man, with little time for soft thoughts. Hanae was a business partner, Hanzo a precious investment. That was that.


End file.
